Thaindian News

Dhaka, Feb 10 (IANS) Japanese auto giant Mitsubishi may assemble its next sedan car in Bangladesh, the company’s chief said here. “We (Bangladesh government and Mitsubishi) have agreed to study the possibility of a sedan car assembling project,” Osamu Masuko, global president of Mitsubishi Motors, told the Daily Star in an interview Wednesday.

The study will be concluded in six months, Masuko said.

Mitsubishi is looking to tap the growing potential of the local market. It also has plans to locally manufacture as many components as it can.

After the feasibility study, state-owned Progoti Industries Ltd will start assembling the cars with 1,300cc (1.3 litre) engines.

The family saloon will be the third Mitsubishi vehicle, after the Pajero and Pajero Sport, to be assembled here.

Progoti has been assembling Pajeros since 1985. The Pajero Sport is expected to hit the local market in two to three months.

Rangs Motors is the sole distributor of all Mitsubishi vehicles in the local market.

Masuko, now on a three-day visit to see progress of Mitsubishi’s ongoing and future projects, said Bangladesh would benefit from the assembly plants in terms of technology transfer.

“Bangladesh has to localise components to save the foreign currency being spent on imports,” said the company president.

He cited the example of Hyundai Motor, a Korean automaker that has become a global player due to transfer of technology by Mitsubishi Motors.

“It took 39 years to transfer the technology to Hyundai. If we start here today, it will take at least 10-15 years to do that,” said Masuko.

Bangladesh has been a traditional market for Japanese cars.